Navimag Day Four

18 Febrero

Our last day on the Navimag was fairly uneventful,mostly because we slept through the morning! Weather had deteriorated so we kept in doors. Arrived at Puerto Natales around 3:00 pm but we did not dock the ferry until 10:00 pm! So we whiled away the night in the ferry bar with friends. At one stage I pulled out my guitar and had a strum. This little Chilean dude popped up and asked to play. He was good! Must have been about 15 years old. Cool kid. We spoke broken Spanish and English to each other, funny. Shortly after we were in the middle of Puerto Natales and it was midnight and raining. Accommodation was just a taxi away though. And thus ends this journey.

Colourful Natales. Photo taken on a rare sunny day.

Puerto Natales is surrounded by mountains and stark bluffs.

 

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Navimag Day Three

17 Febrero

Full nights sleep! Very grateful.

Weather improved. Several colonies of southern sea lions spotted on rocky islands nearby. Land much closer, can get a good look at the vegetation. Very beautiful. No civilisation in sight.

Made our way to Tempanos Glacier early in the afternoon. This is one of over 50 glaciers in Patagonia and our first to visit by boat. To reach it we had to travel up Iceberg Fjord, aptly named due to the floating chunks of ice. The glacier looked fantastic, brilliant shades of blue. Two seals also provided entertainment.

Left side of Tempanos Glacier

Dense ice in the centre of the glacier.

Fur seal splashing about.

The water was filled with ice.

Next stop was a ship wreck, the Cotopaxi. The captain allegedly sunk the ship in attempt to claim insurance. However he failed and merely beached it on some rocks. Whole thing seemed intact. Made for some great pics.

The Cotopaxi.

Final stop of the day was Villa Puerto Eden, a small fishing village, 100 pax. Apparently it is one of Chile's most isolated villages. Claim to fame is the 11 surviving members of the Kawéshkar people. We left the ship and spent about an hour on this picturesque part of the planet. Spotted many hummingbirds and the largest bumblebees we have ever seen. Snow was on the mountains, even though it is still summer. Must get damn cold in winter!

Villa Puerto Eden, the wharf is in the centre.

Colourful boats. Yellow seemed to be theme.

Magellan hummingbird.

Day capped off with a boozy party. Would give stories but don't remember much!

The Navimag ferry Evangalistas.

 

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Navimag Day Two

16 Febrero

First full day on the ship. Saw a large pod of dolphins around 11:00 am, first major wild life spotting. Brilliant. Weather has improved, sunshine breaking through every now and then. Surrounded by mountains and islands. Very similar to NZ's southern fjords except that the water ways are much larger. Hard to gauge size as land not close, fortunately people seemed keen to share binoculars, including some dude that rocked up with a telescope.

Began to see more and more wild life: South American fur seals, blue penguins, petrels, shags and black browed albatrosses. Landscape became more rugged as we made our way to sea with some stunning mountain ranges. Sun came out to greet us as we neared Pacific. Heard someone shout “whales!” We bolted to the bow and saw a southern right whale rise out of the water and clear its blow hole. Magic.

Mountain range near Pacific Ocean.

Sailed through Canal Moraleda, Canal Chacabuco (very nice) and out to Pacific Ocean for the night. Celebrated first time on the eastern edge of the Pacific Ocean with a beer.

Albatross

 

 

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Navimag Diaries

Hi all,

By the time this has been posted we will have completed four days on board the Navimag ferry, which has taken us through Chile's southern fjords. It was a great way to see the area, highly recommend it. Have split the details of the trip over four blog posts.

15 Febrero

Departed from Puerto Montt at 5:00 pm, conditions not great with low cloud and rain. Pleased to discover that ticket price includes three meals a day. Bonus.

Sailed through Beloncavi Sound and the Gulfs of Ancud and Corcovado. Fairly relaxed first night on the ship. We hit the sack fairly early to get some needed sleep. This proved elusive though as the cabin became a sweat box with four people in it. Only managed about three or four hours of shut-eye! The sleep deprivation continues.

 

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